318 



SCIEJSrCJE. 



[Vol. VIII., No. 193 



isfactory, it was decided this year to enlarge the 

 scope of the association, so that it now includes 

 " the consideration of uniformity and accuracy in 

 the analysis of fertilizers, soils, cattle-foods, dairy 

 products, and other materials connected with agri- 

 cultural industry,'" and "affords opportunity for 

 the discussion of matters of interest to agricul- 

 tural chemists." All persons exercising official 

 control of the materials above named, or who are 

 connected with departments of agricultiu-e, agri- 

 cultural experiment-stations, agricultural colleges, 

 and state boards of agriculture, are eligible to 

 membership. Under this extension of its field, 

 the association wUl, no doubt, do as much for the 

 improvement in accuracy and uniformity of the 

 analysis of other materials as it has done for fer- 

 tilizers. 



The Proceedings contain the reports of com- 

 mittees on the estimation of phosphoric acid, 

 nitrogen, and potash, the discussion of the pre- 

 vious year's experience, and concludes with the 

 official methods adopted for the ensuing year. 



The officers elected and the committees ap- 

 pointed by the president are as follows : — presi- 

 dent. Dr. E. H. Jenkins of the Connecticut agri- 

 cultural experiment-station ; vice-president, Mr. 

 P. E. Chazal, state chemist of South Carolina ; 

 secretary and treasurer, Clifford Richardson of 

 the U. S. department of agriculture. Members of 

 the executive committee : Dr. H. W. Wiley of the 

 U. S. department of agriculture, Prof. M. A. 

 Scovell of the Kentucky agricultural experiment- 

 station. Other committees : phosphoric acid, 

 Prof. W. C. Stubbs (Baton Rouge, La.), Prof. W. 

 E. Moses (Knoxville, Tenn.), Dr. C. W. Dabney, 

 jun. (Raleigh, N.C.) ; nitrogen. Dr. W. J. Gas- 

 coyne (Richmond, Va.), Mr. P. E. Chazal (Colum- 

 bia, S.C), Prof. M. A. Scovell (Lexington, Ky.) ; 

 potasb, Mr. Clifford Richardson (Washington, 

 D.C.), Prof. H. A. Huston (Lafayette, Ind.), Prof. 

 W. W. Cook (Burlington, Vt.) ; feeding-stuffs. 

 Dr. G. C. Caldwell (Ithaca, N.Y.), Prof. W. H. 

 Jordan (Orono, Me.), Mr. Clifford Richardson 

 (Washington, D.C.) ; dairy products. Dr. H. W. 

 Wiley (Washington, D.C), Dr. S. M. Babcock 

 (Geneva, N.Y.), Prof. H. P. Armsby(Madison,Wis.). 



ARTIFICIAL RUBIES. 



The subject of artificial gems is at the present 

 moment of considerable interest, not only finan- 

 cially, but also as furnishing an example of the 

 manner in which the microscope is constantly 

 called into use by almost every profession. Early 

 this summer the Syndicate desdiamants et pierres 

 precieuses were informed that certain stones which 

 had been sold as rubies from a new locality were 



suspected to be of artificial origin. They were put 

 upon the market by a Geneva house ; and it was 

 surmised that they were obtained by the fusion of 

 large numbers of small rubies, worth at the most 

 a few dollars a carat, into one fine gem worth from 

 |1,000 to 12,500 a carat. 



Some of these artificial stones were kindly pro- 



FiG. 1. — Spherical cavities in artificial ruby as seen at 

 ONE time (enlarged 75 diameters). 



Fig. 2. — Spherical and irregular cavities in artificial 

 ruby as seen at one time, evidently from the lower 

 part of the crucible (enlarged 25 diameters). 





Fig. 3. — Acicular crystals in sapphire (enlarged 100 di- 

 ameters). 



^^^\yr'^/^^ 



■pia. 4. — Cuneiform crystals in ruby and sapphire (en- 

 larged 200 diameters). 



cured for me by Messrs. Tiffany & Co. I was not, 

 however, permitted to break them for analysis, to 

 observe the cleavage, or to have them cut so that 

 I could observe the optical axesraore correctly. I 

 would at any time have detected the artificial 

 nature of this production with a mere pocket-lens, 

 as the whole structure is that peculiar to fused 

 masses. Examination elicited the following facts. 

 The principal distinguishing characteristic between 

 these and the genuine stones is the presence in 



